A few days ago i was stumbling my way across some food blog sites, and I found an immense amount of recipes that I wanted to share with you all so badly, therefore I am abandoning my Neatly organized Single-Recipe Blog Posts just for one night, so that you all will be able to see these recipes.
The recipes for Black Sesame Seed Cookies, Green Tea Matcha Cookies, Breakfast On-The-Go Sandwhich, How to make your own Bagels, Turkey Meatballs
Black Sesame Cookies
http://dodol-mochi.blogspot.com/2009/10/black-sesame-seeds-cookies.html
(A)
120g unsalted butter, at room temperature
60g castor sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
180g plain flour, sifted once
(B)
40g pulverized roasted black sesame seeds (let it cool completely upon using)
1/2 egg, at room temperature
enough black sesame seeds
enough granulated/coarse sugar
- Cream (A) together till well-combined and look light and fluffy, then fold in the flour to blend well–STOP once a crumbly dough has formed!
- Divide the dough into half, then mix in (B) to one of the halves till well-combined; refrigerate both portions of the dough till they’ve become hard enough to be handled by hands–about 30 minutes mine took (I didn’t cover them with cling wrap.)
- Remove both portions of the dough from the refrigerator. On slightly floured working surface, shape the vanilla dough into the shape of a log measuring at about 3cm in diameter and 16cm in length.
Then, roll the black sesame dough into a rough 7x16cm rectangular shape; place the vanilla dough in the middle of the black sesame dough and “wrap them up.” Further shape the wrapped-up dough to get a better, “smoother” shape of a log. Next, refrigerate till it’s become hard enough to be handled by hands–mine took about 40 minutes or so (If you find the dough gets too soft and difficult to be worked with, refrigerate it immediately each time till it hardens up to the point whereby you can work with it easily.) - Slice the cookie dough into 0.7~0.8mm-thick slices and arrange them on lined baking trays, leaving about 2.5cm of space in between each cookie for expansion during baking
Sprinkle some black sesame seeds over each of the cookies (If you want sugar-coated ones, coat them in granulated or coarse sugar after sprinkling the sesame seeds) - Bake the cookies at 170C for 15-18 minutes or till they’re slightly golden brown around the edges and their surface looks a bit cracked (No worries, the crack will sort of go away once the cookies are cooled completely.)
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately transfer them to cool on wire rack completely. Store cooled cookies in airtight containers
Green Tea Matcha Cookies
(A)
64g powdered sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp Matcha green tea powder
*The higher quality your green tea powder is, the brighter green the cookies will be
142g butter, softened
214g all-purpose flour, sifted
3 large egg yolks
some sugar, for coating
- Whisk together (A), then cream well with butter till smooth and light in color
*Be patient, it’ll take sometime for the mixture to turn into light-green color - Mix in sifted flour into the creamed mixture till combined, then followed by egg yolks and mix till a mass has formed and the mixture is just incorporated
- Turn the dough out onto a plastic film and shape into a disk, wrap well and chill in the refrigerator till firm
- On a slightly floured surface, roll out the chilled disc of dough into 1/2-inch thickness
- Cut out cookies with 2-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter, then coat their surface evenly with sugar and arrange them onto prepared baking sheets
*I used a slightly smaller cookie cutter
*I gathered the dough scraps up and gently pressed them together so that they “became one” again (NO kneading please!), then wrapped it well and chilled till firm again before proceeding with rolling, cutting and baking - Bake sablés at 180C/350F for 12-15 minutes or till their edges are just slightly golden
- Remove them from the oven and transfer to cool on the wire rack completely
*Please store the sablés in an airtight container that blocks the sunlight out as the green color in Matcha will fade away due to sunlight exposure.
http://dodol-mochi.blogspot.com/2009/05/little-matcha-emeralds.html
Breakfast on-the-go Sandwhiches
I love a nice, light yogurt parfait in the mornings. But some mornings, a cup of yogurt just isn’t going to cut it. I like to have heartier breakfast fare stashed in the freezer for those occasions. These sandwiches are so easy and delicious you’ll want to keep a large stash on hand for grab and go convenience on busy mornings. This is one of those convenience food swaps that takes a few minutes to prep but if you are going to make one you might as well make a dozen.
Breakfast Sandwiches
makes 12 sandwiches, prep 10 min, cook time 20 minutes- 12 english muffins or mini bagels
- 1 pound bacon or 12 sausage patties
- 12 eggs
- 3 cups shredded cheese or 12 slices of cheese
- Toast english muffins or bagels, set aside.
- Cut bacon in half and cook or cook sausage patties. Set aside.
- Grease a muffin tin and either crack an egg into each muffin space and lightly beat or beat eggs together in a bowl and pour into each space.
- Bake eggs at 400°F for 10 minutes or until almost done.
- When eggs are almost set cover each egg with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.
- Return to the oven until cheese is melted.
- Remove egg/cheese muffins and allow to cool.
- Assemble sandwiches and allow to cool completely.
- Wrap in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag in the freezer.
- To reheat, unwrap and microwave for 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, checking every 30 seconds.
These are also good in the refrigerator if you will eat them within a week. Just warm up for 30 seconds in the microwave.
http://chaosinthekitchen.com/2009/10/fast-easy-breakfast-breakfast-sandwiches/
Make your Own Bagels
Bagel Recipe
Ingredients:2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups of warm water (you may need ± ¼ cup more, I know I did)
3 ½ cups (500g) of bread flour or high gluten flour(will need extra for kneading)
1 ½ teaspoons of saltOptional Toppings:
Caraway seeds, coarse salt, minced fresh garlic, minced fresh onion, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds. (Everyone in my house prefers plain bagels, but I have no preference, so I just went with the plain, so no one could complain.)Preparation:
1. In ½ cup of the warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for five minutes, and then stir the yeast and sugar mixture, until it all dissolves in the water.2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.
3. Pour half of the remaining warm water into the well. Mix and stir in the rest of the water as needed. Depending on where you live, you may need to add anywhere from a couple tablespoons to about ¼ cup of water. You want to result in a moist and firm dough after you have mixed it.
4. On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Try working in as much flour as possible to form a firm and stiff dough.
5. Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
6. Carefully divide the dough into 8 pieces (I used a scale to be extra precise, but it’s not necessary). Shape each piece into a round. Now, take a dough ball, and press it gently against the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms (as pictured below). Repeat with 7 other dough rounds.
7. Coat a finger in flour, and gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat the same step with the remaining dough.
8. After shaping the dough rounds and placing them on the cookie sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF / 220ºC / Gas Mark 7.
9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, it shouldn’t take too long for them to float to the top (a couple seconds). Let them sit there for 1 minute, and them flip them over to boil for another minute. Extend the boiling times to 2 minutes each, if you’d prefer a chewier bagel (results will give you a more New York Style bagel with this option).
10. If you want to top your bagels with stuff, do so as you take them out of the water, you may use the “optional toppings” (listed above) to top the bagels and if you’re risky like me, make a combination of the toppings to top the bagels with, but before hand, you will need to use an egg wash to get the toppings to stick before putting the bagels into the oven.
11. Once all the bagels have boiled (and have been topped with your choice of toppings), transfer them to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
12. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
13. Cool on a wire rack (or if you’re impatient like I am, slice one of these babies open, and spread some softened butter on it. Take a bite… Oh babyyy!)
Turkey Meatballs
http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2009/10/ground-turkey-recipe-turkey-yogurt-meatballs.html
GREEKTOWN TURKEY MEATBALLS
One of the highlights of my visit to Chicago for the BlogHer conference last summer was a stop at The Spice House with my blogging friend Kalyn. We met owner Patricia Penzey Erd and left the store with many new spices to try. The Spice House sells several spice blends named after Chicago neighborhoods, and theirGreektown Billygoat Seasoning — made with coarse salt, granulated garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, Greek oregano and powdered lemon peel — is one of my favorites. If you don’t have it, substitute Penzeys Greek Seasoning, or dried oregano plus lemon zest, and one clove of garlic smashed to a paste, for the seasoning in this recipe. Makes 36-40 meatballs (or 6 turkey burgers), which turn a Greek salad into a satisfying main course dish.
1-1/4 lb ground turkey (I use 93% fat-free)
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Fage 0% fat)
1 large egg
1-1/2 Tbsp Greektown Billygoat Seasoning or Penzeys Greek Seasoning (or equivalent mix of dried oregano plus lemon zest, plus one clove of garlic, smashed)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1-2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat (silicone liner), aluminum foil or parchment paper, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. With your hands, mix until well combined, with the breadcrumbs and yogurt evenly distributed throughout.
Wet your hands with water, and form the turkey mixture into 36-40 meatballs approximately 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, until just slightly brown. Taste one to be sure they’re done; the yogurt will keep the meatballs fairly moist.
You can make these ahead, and freeze them. Serve as an appetizer, or add to a Greek salad.
